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Adjustment Experiences of Zimbabwean International Students Studying in the United States and Their Perception of United States Mental Health Counseling

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Adjustment Experiences of Zimbabwean International Students Studying in the United States and Their Perception of United States Mental Health Counseling ADJUSTMENT EXPERIENCES OF ZIMBABWEAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS STUDYING IN THE UNITED STATES AND THEIR PERCEPTION OF UNITED STATES MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING A dissertation submitted to the Kent State University College of Education, Health, and Human Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Emily E. Mupinga May 2018 © Copyright, 2018 by Emily E. Mupinga All Rights Reserved ii A dissertation written by Emily E. Mupinga A.S., Gweru Teachers’ College, Zimbabwe, 1989 B.S., Louisiana State University, 1998 M.S., Louisiana State University, 1999 M.S., Indiana State University, 2006 Ph.D., Kent State University, 2018 Approved by _______________________________, Co-Director, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Jane A. Cox _______________________________, Co-Director, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Lynne Guillot Miller _______________________________, Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Martha C. Merrill Accepted by _______________________________, Director, School of Lifespan Development and Mary Dellmann-Jenkins Educational Sciences _______________________________, Dean, College of Education, Health and Human James C. Hannon Services iii MUPINGA EMILY E., Ph.D., May 2018 COUNSELOR EDUCATION AND SUPERVISION ADJUSTMENT EXPERIENCES OF ZIMBABWEAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF UNITED STATES MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING (210 pp.) Co-Directors of Dissertation: Jane A. Cox, Ph.D. Lynne Guillot Miller, Ph. D. This study aimed at understanding the adjustment experiences of Zimbabwean international students as they study in the United States and exploring their perception of United States mental health counseling. Qualitative inquiry (basic interpretive approach) was selected as the research method due to the explorative nature of the research questions. Nine participants were recruited using the snowball sampling method and the United States was the only foreign country in which they had been college or university students. The following research questions guided the study: (a) What are the adjustment experiences of Zimbabwean international students as they study in the United States? (b) What are the Zimbabwean international students’ perception of United States mental health counseling? Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. NVivo, a Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) computer software, was used to manage the data. Five overarching themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) limited resources, (b) navigating the United States’ academic environment, (c) socio-cultural barriers, (d) limited exposure to United States mental health counseling, and (e) self-reliance and informal supports leading to acclimation. These findings were comparable to results of previous studies and they have important implications for higher education, counselor educators, college clinical mental health counselors, and Zimbabwean international students (both prospective and current). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank God Almighty for His faithfulness, and the many blessings He bestowed upon me along the way. What a meandering route but incredible journey! I would like to acknowledge and thank everyone who supported me, in any respect, during the completion of my doctoral work. This includes my coursework advisors (Dr. Jason McGlothlin and Dr. Marty Jencius), the Counselor Education & Supervision faculty and staff at Kent State University, my classmates, workmates, and friends. My special thanks to the nine Zimbabwean international students who participated in this research. Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights. I am heartily thankful to my dissertation co-advisors, Dr. Jane Cox and Dr. Lynn Guillot Miller for their guidance, encouragement, feedback, and time. Your expertise and hard work are greatly appreciated. I am grateful to Dr. Martha Merrill and Dr. Karla Anhalt for taking time away from their busy schedules to serve on my dissertation committee and for offering great support. Thanks, Penny Minor, for being a great friend and a tireless cheerleader. The many valuable discussions and email messages we exchanged over the years kept me motivated to complete this project. I also would like to acknowledge my siblings (Ben [late], Stephen, Charmpeh, Loveness, & Stewart) and their spouses; my nieces and nephews; my aunts and uncles; and my cousins and their families. Thank you for being a constant source of support and iv strength all these years. Mom and Dad [late], thanks for your love, blessings, and incredible prayers that kept me going. I love you! Finally, I am so blessed and grateful for the unconditional love, encouragement, and patience of my beloved husband and best friend, Davison and my wonderful children (Rumbie, Tanaka, and Blessing). Thanks for believing in me and I love you so much! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE..................1 Overview ..................................................................................................................1 Research Question ...................................................................................................5 Purpose of Study ......................................................................................................5 Review of Literature ................................................................................................6 International Students in the United States .......................................................9 Adjustment problems experienced by international students................10 English language and academic problems .....................................10 Discrimination................................................................................15 Homesickness and loneliness .........................................................18 Conflicting cultural values .............................................................20 International students’ perception of professional mental health counseling .............................................................................................29 Zimbabwe: An Overview .......................................................................................33 Demographics .................................................................................................34 Political and Economic History ......................................................................34 Education System ...........................................................................................38 Cultural Explanations of the Causes of Mental Health Problems in Zimbabwe .......................................................................................................41 Belief in the Power of Ancestral Spirits .........................................................42 Belief in the Power of Witchcraft ...................................................................43 Belief in the Power of Demons .......................................................................44 Mental Health Care and Healing Methods in Zimbabwe ......................................45 Family Caregiving ..........................................................................................46 Modern Mental Health Care ...........................................................................47 Traditional Mental Health Care ......................................................................48 Christian-Faith Healing ..................................................................................51 Chapter Summary ..................................................................................................51 II. METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................53 Research Design.....................................................................................................53 Description of Researcher and Assumptions .........................................................56 Sample....................................................................................................................60 Data Collection ......................................................................................................63 vi Demographic Questionnaire ...........................................................................64 Interviews .......................................................................................................64 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................70 Coding.............................................................................................................71 Categorization .................................................................................................73 Theme Exploration.................................................................................................74 Trustworthiness ......................................................................................................77 Member Checking ..........................................................................................77 Memos ............................................................................................................78
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